the empty road - 12. the graduate

by bofa xesjum

part twelve of forty

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it is a shame that many people lead boring lives, instead of being famous artists or prophets or world leaders. there are a lot of people like james and eileen prester in the world , almost too many to count. the first words john prester ever remembered hearing were james’s admonition, you are going to have to support yourself. john took his parent’s words to heart, and spent long hours wondering what fate held for him. in third grade, the teacher asked john what he wanted to be when he grew up. john replied that he did not know but was carefully exploring and considering his options. the other children found john’s answer highly amusing, and never let him forget it. he was nicknamed johnny options for the rest of his days in school. john graduated from high school, knowing exactly what he wanted to be. he wanted to be a trained deadly assassin, killing bad people. he wrote a resume on his i-pad and e-mailed it. to the president of the united states of america, he never really heard back from the president. three months later he received a letter. very short and not saying anything. with the president’s electronic signature. you know the rest. john was disappointed. not defeated. no. next

the empty road - 11. the dream

by bofa xesjum

part eleven of forty

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james prester believed in the american dream, and all he wanted was a house of his own with a lawn. he knew that he had to have a wife, and he accepted that as part of the grand bargain. james had a job which he could not describe to people who did not have the job themselves. james and a fellow named sid rafferty often sat at the same table in the company cafeteria. sid lived with his mother and sister in a little house on the edge of town. sid’s mother wanted sid or the sister, preferably both , to find their own places. she pestered the sister to get married, and sid, too, but not so much. sid volunteered to help the sister, whose name was eileen, catch a man. to make a long story short, james prester and eileen rafferty married. james seemed happy with the arrangement, eileen maybe not so much. when not working or sleeping, james puttered around the house. when not working or sleeping, eileen mostly watched television. five years after the marraige, john was born. he looked more like eileen then john. james did not notice, or care. john was a quiet child. the years went by. is that all? for now. right. next

the empty road - 10. the dime

by bofa xesjum

part ten of forty

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despair. total despair. where am i? how did this happen? how i wanted it all. i wanted mom to be proud. and i wanted to conquer the world. > where did it all go wrong - so wrong. hey john citizen, do you know where you are? i know very well where i am, my friend - hell! kind of dramatic aren’t we - i only wanted a dime. i mean if you can spare it - i would not ask otherwise. i am sincerely sorry for the outburst - i have had a hard life. i have had a hard life too - and believe me, i feel your pain. it seems like it was only yesterday that i had the world at my feet. a word to the wise, friend, be a bit more specific when you tell your tale. thank you, i will try to remember that advice, which sounds very sound indeed, i must say. begin at the beginning, and do not omit any details, especially the most painful, and the most humiliating. remember, it is good to make them laugh, but you will get nowhere unless you also make them cry. and with those parting words, the shadowy stranger left john prester alone in the wind and the rain, as before. next

the empty road - 9. the mother

by bofa xesjum

part nine of forty

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eileen. my mom. a nice person. really, everybody said so. she always wore a smile. and treated everybody exactly the same. no matter who or what they were. excuse me, can you give a specific example? i can give you a whole lot of examples. i only want one, so let’s get on with it. there was an old lady who lived next door to us. hold on, you mean the next trailer in the trailer park, right? trailer park? what trailer park? sir, we never lived in any trailer park! my records show that the prester faimily lived in a trailer park outside denver. i do not know where denver is, let alone lived in a trailer park there. denver is in the state of colorado, they have snowy mountains and bears and hippies there. i demand to know where you got the idea that i ever lived in a trailer park. please calm down, sir, i can only go by what i have in this report i have here. then, i strongly suggest you tear up that report and get yourself a more accurate one, if you please. i strongly suggest that you get up and leave the room because this interview is over, have a nice day. next

the empty road - 8. the past

by bofa xesjum

part eight of forty

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hello. hello yourself. who are you? i am your employer. employer, what must i do? begin by filling out this form. um - it looks rather long and involved. don’t worry, nobody will actually look at it. i can’t remember anything about my so-called past life. that is because you do not in fact have one. so you are saying that i should just make something up? that is what i am saying so just get on with it. i do not want to make trouble, just to do the right thing. at that point, the employer got up and left the room without another word. the candidate began filling out the form, as he had done so many times before. once he began, the words and names and places flowed like raindrops over a deserted street.. my parents were named james and eileen prester, and they lived quiet lives in the american midwest. james was often out of work, and drank heavily, but eileen had a steady job at the bank. james was a dreamer, and he dreamed most often of being an outlaw like jesse james or john dillinger. at one point, eileen did not miss a day of work at the bank for sixteen years and three months. next

the empty road - 7. the child

by bofa xesjum

part seven of forty

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before. way before. many years ago. john prester was born. he was a happy child. always up to some naughty mischief. he lived with his mother and grandmother they both laughed heartily at his jolly nonsense. one day a stranger called - a certain mr wilkins. he had a black briefcase and produced papers from it. the two women were overwhelmed by the contents of the papers. young john was instructed to pack his bag and accompany mr wilkins.. the boy accompanied mr wilkins in a taxi to the nearest railroad station . mr wilkins did not prove to be a very cheerful or communicative traveling companion. he volunteered the information that he was an attorney, and then lapsed into brooding silence. john turned his attention to the trees, signs, and buildings flashing by outside the train window. the train passed within a few feet of a window and a pretty girl smiled at him. john smiled back at her and she was gone - had she even seen his returning smile? he wondered. he looked over at mr wilkins and that gentleman, if he had seen the exchange, was not smiling himself. thus began what would be the first of many journeys he would take in the service of his new masters. next

the empty road - 6. the messenger

by bofa xesjum

part six of forty

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what? knock knock. who is that? daggett opens the door.. a messenger from the chairman. the messenger wears a blue uniform. blue - the color of the security agency. the director knows trouble when he sees it. the messenger steps confidently into the room and speaks. you are director of the interior department? the messenger asks. i have that honor, the director replies in a steady voice. you oversee the activities of a captain john prester? the messenger continues. yes, he is an agent of this department - and a highly trusted one,. do you know the whereabouts of this highly trusted personage, if i may ask? i can easily find out , the director replies, if you let me check my schedule. yes, please do that, the messenger answers with a sneer, insolently staring down the unhappy director. the director reaches into his vest pocket, for his phone, but he is stopped by the messenger. none of your monkey tricks!, the messenger cries. i have a warrant for captain prester’s arrest - and yours! faithful daggett has placed himself behind the messenger, and produces a silken cord and quickly strangles her with it. daggett lets the messenger’s body fall , her cap comes off and her long auburn hair flows across the director’s feet. next